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Swedish high school to bullied lesbian teen: don't be so gay. And that skull fracture was your own fault, young lady. (In mercy's name, don't read the comments.)

Hey wassup loser

I'm having a setback, and so am weirdly emotionally labile: last night I was quite upset by a cartoon of a sad-looking Cthulhu, which gives you a good idea of my mental state. However, especially in light of that dreadful report from Sweden, I wanted to share with you something else that breaks my heart a little.



I'm afraid so, faithful readers, but bear with me.

The lyrics of Nu'est's "Face" are a bit elusive, but the gist is - I think - that if you're being bullied, you shouldn't try to be macho, tough it out, and go it alone, but ask for help. The music video bears this out, with the band members intervening in the miserable life of a Korean highschooler.

Now, one of Nu'est's members, Ren, has a strikingly androgynous look:



A wag might respond that looking a bit girly is hardly unusual for a Korean boy band member, but IIUC, this is deliberate gender play, parallel to the tomboy style of some girl band members - but, in some ways, braver than that, since on the whole it's easier for a girl to get away with being boyish than the other way around.

(A caveat here - I am thumpingly ignorant of Korean culture. You pick up bits and pieces from listening and watching, of course, but it only reminds you how much you don't understand. If it wasn't for the translator's notes, often I'd have no idea what the hell is going on. There will be meaning and nuance in all this that's simply shooting over my head.)

Anywho, naturally K-fandom is full of yaoi and speculation, but IRL things are not so gay- or trans-friendly, as Eat Your Kimchi explains: "There are very few openly gay Korean celebrities. The most famous, in our opinion, is Hong Seok-cheon 홍석천, who was fired from all his jobs on TV after he revealed his homosexuality eleven years ago... several Korean celebrities have committed suicide after revealing their sexual orientation to the public. They were fired from their jobs, and harassed and bullied by netizens to the point in which they felt that suicide was their only option." You may imagine the clenching of my heart at the thought of one of my lovely boys coming out, or being outed, and his career being destroyed as a result. (Fortunately, Ren's style seems to have been well-received.)

So, back to the music video. Here's the moment that puts a lump in my throat.

Gyeolko nollijineun anha hey wassup, loser: Ren, standing alone and to the side, is pushed to the ground.





O ne sangtaee geujeo nan click the like it: But he is immediately helped back to his feet, and a moment later we see him dancing with the others (note the hand on his shoulder).




So the tiny story told here is: we know what it's like; you're not alone, and we want to help. (The moment is echoed the end of the video, when we see a band member helping the highschooler back to his feet after he has slumped down in despair.) Here's the verse in English, as per one online translation - it's muddled, but the gist is clear:

You struggling stupid – are you okay?
If you wanna go home, tell me, I'll send you off
I won't make fun of you in the end – "hey wassup loser"
At your status, I'll just click the "like it"

I don't think it's a coincidence that it's the androgynous member who is symbolically rescued. (I don't think all that pink in the video is a coincidence, either, although someone mentioned it was the official colour of an international bullying campaign - haven't checked this out yet. Every member is wearing something pink. ETA: perhaps it's a reference to Canada's "Pink Shirt Day", a grassroots anti-bullying movement begun in 1997.)

ETA: A recent article on Seoul's gay nightclubs gives more context.

Right, well after that grimness, here is a baby owl

(Found on Tumblr - originally from Flickr.)

(no subject)

OK, you know that thing where you don't get to the beach all that often, so instead of swimming you just start wading into the surf, a little deeper and you lose your footing, a bit deeper than that and each incoming wave knocks you down, and then a bit deeper again, and you're starting to think, uh-oh, this might actually be more than I have the ability to handle? This setback is turning out like that. I've had 0.5 mg of Xanax because I know it will take the edge off. I seem to have lost my shrink's phone number. *rummages* Now have provisional shrink appointment, but it's not until Friday. :P